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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29826237">The Rockrose and the Thistle</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelicKnight/pseuds/AngelicKnight'>AngelicKnight</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Super Dangan Ronpa 2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Background Kamukura Izuru, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hajime drives most times and Izuru gets shotgun, Hinata Hajime and Kamukura Izuru Share a Body Simultaneously, Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito-centric, Hurt/Comfort, Komaeda Nagito Being Komaeda Nagito, M/M, Panic Attacks, Post-Dangan Ronpa 3, Post-Super Dangan Ronpa 2, Song: The Rockrose and the Thistle (The Amazing Devil), Songfic, Suffering Komaeda Nagito, Walks On The Beach, for what? lol idk but its there, i think? i haven't finished the anime yet, if you think about it a lot of TAD songs can be komahina, it's a komahina song go mad about it i make the rules in my fic, sunrises as a metaphor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 08:07:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,237</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29826237</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelicKnight/pseuds/AngelicKnight</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em> As he came closer he saw that Nagito was acting strange. He was smiling and tears streamed down his face. His eyes reminded him of the first trial, when he revealed his true nature. He had the same look as back then, like hope and despair were mixing together into a gruesome mockery of both and neither at the same time. </em>
</p><p>3 times where Hajime finds Nagito alone at night. Izuru actually helps a lot.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hinata Hajime &amp; Komaeda Nagito, Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>63</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. When you call to me asleep</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I've written this listening exclusively to this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL_JAp4EvrM&amp;t</p><p>This might possibly be my biggest project, I've never written a songfic and Komahina fit really well with TAD so I figured I'd combine them.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He found him on the beach.</p><p>Hajime thought it was strange that Nagito had missed dinner, usually when everyone was gathered he was there too, whether it was to feel included or admire everyone’s hope, Hajime didn’t know. Fuyuhiko asked him if he knew where he was, and only then he realized Nagito was missing. “Probably causing trouble again” the gangster said. He decided he’d check later, there aren’t many places he could have gone.</p><p>That night he went to look for him. After finishing eating he checked Nagito’s cottage first, knocking only to find it unlocked. Tentatively, he opened the door and stepped inside, doing a quick check of the room and finding it empty, although there were clothes strewn across the floor and the bed was unmade. He supposed, by what he discovered thus far, that Nagito wasn’t in his cottage (<strong>How clever, good job at deducing that,</strong> said Izuru, and Hajime pointedly ignored him), and instead went out to look for him.</p><p>“Alright, if I was Nagito, where would I go?” he wondered aloud. He left the cottage and did a quick run around the island, checking the supermarket and even the ranch, but still no sign of Nagito. Might as well try the other islands, just in case.</p><p>In the end he didn’t have to check for long, as he finally found him in Chandler beach. He was sitting on top of a small mound of sand and looking out to the sea, probably expecting the sunrise. “Hey, where were you? You missed dinner and worried everyone.” As he came closer he saw that Nagito was acting strange. He was smiling and tears streamed down his face. His eyes reminded him of the first trial, when he revealed his true nature. He had the same look as back then, like hope and despair were mixing together into a gruesome mockery of both and neither at the same time.</p><p>“Ah, did I now? I’m sorry Hinata-kun, trash like me doesn’t deserve anyone worrying over them. How selfish of me” he covered his head with his arms and pulled his knees to his chest. He was still crying. “You should go, you don’t want to see me like this.” <em>Oh god, not now.</em></p><p>It wasn’t common, but Nagito often got like this, even after exiting the simulation. He’d stay in his cottage wallowing in self-hatred until someone checked on him and reminded him that he’s not alone anymore. Usually it was only Hajime, but sometimes Kazuichi and Fuyuhiko joined them. Sadly, this was not one of those times.</p><p>“How many times have I told you, you’re not trash or a burden, we were just worried something had happened to you.” He sat down next to him. The barest hints of orange could be seen in the horizon, mixing with the waves, and if it were any other situation he would have stopped to admire it. Admittedly, Hajime wasn’t the best at comforting others, much less Izuru, but he always tried his best. It was for his friends after all.</p><p>“I’m sorry Hinata-kun, you don’t have to waste your time with someone like me. I’m sure there are so many good, hopeful things you could do instead!” Nagito had always been a handful, most things that came out of his mouth didn’t make sense, but still Hajime saw him as a friend. Right now, though, he wanted to shut him up. He never had much patience when Nagito started talking bad about himself. Why couldn’t he see himself as Hajime saw him?</p><p>“You know what? Alright. If you want to be left alone then I’ll go back to sleep. If you need anything then knock on my door.” Hajime got up and left, ignoring the flash of pain on the back of his head and leaving Nagito all alone on the beach, to watch the sunrise with bloodshot eyes and his parents’ faces fresh on his mind.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. When your seams have come unknitted</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There were noises in his cabin at night, some days.</p><p>It wasn’t any of his business, so most times Hajime just stayed silent and walked past his door (some nights he heard the sobbing and the distressed breaths coming from inside and lingered on the door a little longer than he would have admitted, but he never went inside. He didn’t know if he was allowed).</p><p>That night, their little dynamic changed. It started with the crash of something hitting the floor, too loud this time for Hajime to ignore it. Nagito’s muffled voice could be heard through the door and that worried him. He <em>could</em> walk away, sure but… something in him told him to check, just in case (might have been Izuru, though. He’d always been strangely helpful when it came to dealing with Komaeda).</p><p>He knocked on the door, wincing when the taps sounded way louder than they were, and he looked around to make sure nobody awoke. As expected, nobody did, but Nagito hadn’t answered either. He called out to him.</p><p>“Nagito? Are you alright? I heard something fall and I was just wondering…” Still no answer. A sigh. “I’m coming in, alright?” He pushed open the door.</p><p>Indeed, Nagito <em>was</em> inside, but Hajime never expected to see him like this. The lights were off, covering the room in a blanket of darkness, and sitting on the bed was Nagito, curled up and shivering. He remembered the night at the beach and realized. <em>Oh god, he’s having a panic attack.</em> (He didn’t know if Izuru helped him or seeing him like that reminded of his own sleepless nights)</p><p>He turned on the lights and rushed over “Holy fuck, Nagito, are you okay?” His eyes were squeezed shut, and he didn’t give any signs that he heard him. He was still shaking, and his harsh, ragged breathing drowned out everything else. He grabbed his arm, and that’s when Nagito reacted: he flung his arm out of his reach and scooted away from him, backing up into the wall. <strong>Idiot, you should have asked, you know better than this</strong><em>.</em> He mentally shoved Izuru and told him to <em>shut the fuck up if you’re not going to be helpful.</em></p><p>“Hinata.” That brought his attention. “Hinata, everyone. Everyone was dead. Hinata, I can’t breathe”</p><p>“Fuck, okay, calm down, you’re making it worse. Take a deep breath, alright? Deep breaths now”</p><p>“C-Can’t. I can’t. I’m gonna die.”</p><p>“You are not going to die. I won’t allow it. Izuru, mind a little help?”</p><p><strong>Don’t touch him yet. Talk to him. You know grounding techniques, use them<em>.</em></strong> <em> That’s fine, yeah. I can do that.</em></p><p>“Listen, Nagito, focus on my voice. Try opening your eyes, I need you here. Can you hear me properly?” A hesitant nod. “Good, that’s great. I need you to tell me five things you can see.”</p><p>A few seconds passed before Nagito opened his eyes. Everything looked blurry and he could barely hear from the blood rushing past his ears, but he willed his body to focus on Hajime and his surroundings. “The b-bookcase, the table, some books…” he trailed off into choked gasps.</p><p>“You’re doing great, Nagito, what else? You’re almost done with these.”</p><p>“Hah… the TV and the chair.” His breathing eased slightly and Hajime slowly put his hand on the other boy’s shoulder.</p><p>“Good, great, Nagito. Now, name four things you can hear. You’ll be okay.”</p><p>He took a moment to focus. “Your voice, the wind, the waves and some birds in the distance.”</p><p>“Now, three things you can feel.” The shivering eased little by bit.</p><p>“Your hand, my jacket and my hair. It’s sticking to my face.”</p><p>“Yeah, we’ll do something about that later. Two things you can smell.”</p><p>“The books and the salt from the ocean”</p><p>
  <strong>You can leave out the taste. It’ll be hard for him.</strong>
</p><p>“We’re finished, you did great, Nagito. Are you feeling better?”</p><p>“Why did you do this?” <strong>He’s avoiding the question, but I think he’s better.</strong><em> At least he calmed down.</em> “Why did you come here, why did you help me?”</p><p>“Because I care about you. You’re my friend.”</p><p>“No you don’t, everybody hates me. They’re still scared of me after all the time we’ve spent together.” He was starting this again. Hinata was getting tired of this. “In the end everyone’s gonna leave, it’s always been like that, and you’re gonna leave and never look back and I’ll be alone again-”</p><p>“Shut the fuck up for half a second and listen to me. Do you trust me?”</p><p>“With my life, Hinata-kun”</p><p><strong>That’s concerning. </strong><em>I’ll let it slide for now. </em>“Then trust me when I tell you, I care about you. I won’t leave you alone unless you ask. You’re my friend. Can you believe me when I tell you that?”</p><p>Nagito still looked unconvinced. “I can try, but I can’t guarantee it’ll be soon”</p><p>“Then try. Do it not just for me, but for yourself.”</p><p>A sudden flash of light blinded them both. Hajime covered his eyes with his hand and identified the source of light as the sun, just beginning to rise.</p><p>“Ah, the others will start to wake up soon, and I’m still tired.”</p><p>“I’ll handle it, I’ll tell the others where you are. Of course, if that’s what you want, do you want to stay inside today?”</p><p>“If that’s not too much trouble for Hinata-kun, I’d greatly appreciate it.”</p><p>“Then that’s settled, you stay inside and rest.” Hajime rose from beside the bed, smoothened down his shirt and walked to the door, but he stopped before going out and looked back at him. “You need it”</p><p>He closed the door. Nagito didn’t need to lock it, Hajime was welcome to come inside whenever he wanted to.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I based Nagito's panic attack out of my own experiences with them and I looked up a bunch of medical articles about how different people might experience them and how one should approach someone having one. At first Hajime is kinda an ass but Izuru corrects him.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. I wake and hear you calling</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He was back at the beach.</p><p>Lately Hajime had been having trouble sleeping, and no matter what he tried he couldn’t get a good night’s rest. Mikan suggested drinking tea but that didn’t stop the racing of thoughts that kept him up until the sun was almost rising. So he opted to take walks around the islands instead of staying in his bed all night, if only to do a quick check that everything was as it should and inform Makoto if it wasn’t.</p><p>That night was one of those nights. Hajime’s walks led him once again to Chandler beach, breathing in the salty air as he rounded the beach house. He didn’t expect to see Komaeda again.</p><p>He feared the state he would find him in, given that their last encounters weren’t the most pleasant, but as he came closer he noticed he was quite calm. Relaxed, even. He had his eyes closed, and he was breathing deeply, inhaling the salty smell of the sea. <strong>Go check on him. Go now. </strong><em>Okay, calm down, you sound like a puppy. </em>Izuru sent him a light jab at the back of his head as he approached Nagito.</p><p>“Hinata.” The boy didn’t even turn his head to know who was coming, after all, Hajime was the only one besides him who took midnight walks.</p><p>“Nagito.” He sat down next to him, watching the dark waves.</p><p>They stayed like that, simply enjoying each other’s company. The sound of the ocean was the only sound to be heard. That is, until Hinata spoke.</p><p>“How are you feeling?” Hajime turned to look at Komaeda. The other gave a humorless laugh.</p><p>“Honestly? Not good. I’ve been feeling bad lately, actually for a while now.” Now Komaeda turned towards him, with tired eyes and an empty smile. “You might have noticed from the other times we met under these circumstances. Dark, lonely nights have become a theme for us, right, Hinata-kun?” <strong>He’s telling the truth. His eyes give it away. </strong><em>How do you know that? I never noticed. </em><strong>I’ve spent more time with him than you have. </strong><em>Oh, you’re asking for bragging rights? </em><strong>Shut up, focus on him. </strong></p><p>“Hopefully this is different from those times. If it’s not, then I won’t push you, I understand. I’m glad you told me. At least it’s a step” Hinata smiled. Komaeda returned the smile, less empty this time, more real.</p><p>“Do you want me to go away this time as well?” He asked. There was a long pause, and he feared Nagito wouldn’t answer, but then-</p><p>“No” Nagito took a deep breath. “This is selfish of me to ask, but can you stay? At least for a while. I don’t want to be alone.”</p><p>Hajime answered by extending his arm towards the other boy. Komaeda didn’t seem to take the hint, he kept staring quizzically at Hajime. Hajime grumbled and scooted over himself instead, and he pulled Nagito into a sideways hug. Nagito stiffened up from the sudden contact.</p><p>Hinata pulled away slightly “Wait, fuck, I should have asked if this was ok, are you comfortable with this?” The only answer he got was Nagito shuffling closer and laying his head on his shoulder. Hajime smiled. “Huh. I guess you are” he whispered.</p><p>The sun was rising again, dyeing the water red and orange. “Look, Hinata-kun, doesn’t that look so hopeful? Just like the sunrise, our future is steadily becoming brighter” Komaeda pointed at the sun, barely peeking through the horizon.</p><p>Hajime let out a sigh. He sneaked a glance at the other boy. “Yeah, it does look hopeful”. A smile found its way to his lips. Maybe spending the nights with Nagito wasn’t so bad after all.</p>
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